There are a variety of different types of systems currently available for distributing water for the irrigation of cultivated plants. Likewise, mulch of various types and materials are currently being produced for the landscaping and horticulture markets, and food production markets.
Drip Irrigation
Of the various forms of irrigation systems, drip or microdrip irrigation is considered to be the most desirable because they have been shown to save water, reduce the use of horticultural chemicals, are relatively insensitive to environmental effects, reduce labor, and promote superior plant growth as compared to other technologies.
Most importantly, drip irrigation is an effective irrigation system in terms of water conservation. With drip systems, water is not wasted by watering areas between rows or from run-off. Furthermore, the problems of excessive evaporation, wind-effects, and overspray are avoided by putting the water directly onto the ground rather than simulating rainfall. However, drip systems require significant complexity and cost if used to cover an area rather than one location.
All drip irrigation systems share several things in common. They all generally consist of a central water supply transport means, usually a hose or pipe, and numerous water emission device(s). These emission devices are typically called emitters and are designed to dissipate the irrigation water as evenly as possible at low flow rates, i.e. drips. In addition, drip systems all require relatively fine mesh filtration to avoid clogging of the emitters. Finally, some level of pressure regulation is required as most drip irrigation systems operate at pressures between 8 psi and 15 psi. Drip irrigation systems can be categorized as either line source or point source dissipation systems.
Line source distribution systems emit the water uniformly along the full length of the main supply hose. A series of small holes or similar means are positioned along the length and serve to dissipate the pressure and thus the water flow down to a drip. Line source systems are often referred to as soaker hose or drip tape.
In the past, various U.S. patents have issued in the field of line source systems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,205,619, issued on Sep. 14, 1965 to J. W. Henry, discloses an irrigation mulching sheet consisting of an integral irrigating means permitting more economical use of available water while improving ease of installation and stability of the structure. Water is continuously provided along the linear tubing of the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,850, issued on Nov. 27, 1973 to David G. Zeman, discloses a polymeric, preferably biodegradable tube for agricultural use for distributing water to plants located along the length of the tube. The tube includes a plurality of outlet openings so as to restrict the flow of water to each of the outlets. The tube may also have mulch sections along the length of the tube. Preferably the walls of the tube are thin enough to be broken up by normal agricultural instruments such as plows. The tube has limited durability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,618, issued on Jun. 20, 1978 to Lloyd Spencer, describes an irrigation rodent deterrent tube, particularly adapted for drip or trickle irrigation. The tube has a flat configuration when free of internal pressure. The tube also has laterally projecting webs which tend to be the first to be bitten by a rodent while exploring the presence of the irrigation tube. The webs may be enlarged to contain a concentration of a deterrent or toxic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,106, issued on Apr. 22, 1980 to Takatsuiki Susumu Kojimoto et al., discloses an irrigation hose which is produced by melt-sticking double thermoplastic resin film in a plane along longitudinal parallel lines so as to form a supply passage with communicating holes and constant pressure passages with water-irrigating holes. The invention includes aligning the communicating holes and/or water-irrigating holes to provide irrigating water along the hose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,191, issued in September 1984 to Chapin, discloses a drip tape fabricated from thin plastic material. The drip tape incorporates a series of tortuous paths to accomplish the desired pressure drop and flow reduction. The pre-installed or pre-molded dissemination devices, such as emitters, are positioned along the length of the tape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,659, issued on Nov. 24, 1998 to Eric S. A. Murray, discloses a capillary system that provides water, nutrient solutions and gases such as air to the root zone of plants. The system uses one or more conduits having perforations spaced apart therealong, with the conduits being held in pockets. In use, the capillary system is buried to an appropriate depth in soil below the plants to be irrigated. The upper layer of capillary cloth is wet by the flow out of the perforations and serves to distribute water.
Soaker hose devices, as exemplified by FISKAR Tree Soaker ring, are often made of particulate matter, such as ground-up vehicle tires, that have been compressed with binder into a semi-solid hose-type material. Alternatively, the soaker hose consists of a flat hose which has been punched with holes after manufacture. Both of these types of soaker hose are relatively expensive and some have been known to disintegrate over a short period of time, thus reception by professional and agricultural consumers has not been good.
Drip tape, as exemplified by Delmar in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,143 is fabricated from a strip of thin plastic material and incorporates a series of tortuous paths to accomplish the desired pressure drop and flow reduction. The pre-installed or pre-molded dissemination devices (emitters or emitter discharge points) are spaced along the length of the device at fixed distances ranging from six inches to 48 inches.
Drip tape is generally less inexpensive to manufacture than soaker hose devices due to the relatively small amount of plastic material being used. Due to the use of low cost materials and thin wall thickness, drip tape is typically designed to last only one or two growing seasons prior to being removed and replaced.
When drip tape systems have been used for the irrigation of uniformly and closely spaced plants (commercial applications) they have had good reception. They have been quite effective as an irrigation technique and as a water conservation vehicle when compared to overhead spray and furrow systems. Because drip tape distributes water evenly over the entire length of a planting bed, some water is wasted or used by weeds between the plants. Thus there is a need to distribute water precisely to the plants being watered and not the space between, while being easy to install.
In applications where plants, in any given plot, can vary in size, spacing, and species, a system having fixed spacing between disseminators such as drip tape may not be preferred due to wasted water. Point source systems are designed for these “random planting” applications.
Point source drip irrigation systems employ emitters installed in the water transport lines as needed, such that the water is disseminated at specific points where the emitters are placed. An advantage of a point source dissemination system is that the irrigation can be “customized” for any plant spacing or size. That is, plants of different sizes and water requirements can be accommodated in the same watering zone by varying the number of emitters and/or their flow rates.
When plants are spaced 2.5 feet apart or greater, experience has shown that point source drip irrigation is the most effective system for saving water. In fact, the further the plants are spaced apart, the more cost-effective point source drip irrigation becomes, on a relative basis, when compared with overhead spray or furrow irrigation systems. When used in landscaping applications, the main tube and emitter lines can be covered with mulch or bark chips and look quite attractive. Of course, after the plant material has matured, these installations look even more attractive.
Another advantage of a point source drip irrigation system is that it can be installed after the plants are in place. Installation is usually quite easy but extremely time consuming. Thus the major disadvantage of these systems is the labor and material expenses associated with the custom installation. The emitters are also prone to clogging with contaminants in the water due to their small passages so expensive filters and/or constant maintenance is required.
Flexible and rigid water-filled containers have been developed to deliver water through small emitters to woody plants. These devices are hard to handle when full of water, deliver much faster than the plant needs, and tend to compress the soil around the plant. Furthermore, they tend to clog due to their contact with wet soil, are expensive, and do not provide any means for evaporation control.
Attempts are currently being made around the world to modify drip irrigation systems so that they deliver less water per emitter. The objective is for the irrigated plants to receive the optimum amount of water over a longer period of the day. These “Ultra Low Drip Irrigation” systems are very complex to operate and clogging represents the major obstacle to achieving the objective of optimum plant growing conditions.
Prior art point source irrigation systems include U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,998, issued on Nov. 28, 1978 to Gideon Gilead, which teaches an irrigation apparatus comprising first and second layers of sheet material. The layers are bonded together at surfaces to define a liquid conduit, having at least one pressure reducing path associated therewith and an exit port from each of the at least one pressure reducing paths. The apparatus is linear and is installed underground.
Thus there is a need for an inexpensive drip irrigation system which does not waste irrigation water between plant sites. There is also a need for a drip irrigation system which is easy to install and remove when no longer needed. Furthermore, there is a need for a drip irrigation system that is able to deliver very small amounts of water at specific plant sites without being prone to clogging.
Woody Plants
As in other applications, a variety of different types of products are currently used to provide irrigation water to woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, grown in containers, landscaping sites, and orchards.
Overhead spray systems are used extensively for this application but are generally inefficient as the airborne water is easily deflected by the plants' foliage. As a result, as little as 20% of the irrigation water is actually delivered to the plants' root system, where it is needed.
Point source drip emitters are often used to irrigate woody plants since they are more effective than overhead spray systems. However, drip emitters employing current technologies have a number of deficiencies. First of all, they typically do not allow low delivery rates. Low delivery rates allow the irrigation water to be absorbed by the soil or growing media. If delivered at the rates provided by existing drip emitters, water easily passes through sandy soil, runs off clay soils, or leaches through the bottom of growing containers. Pulsed and similar “Ultra Low Drip Irrigation” systems have been developed to address this but they are very complex to operate and prone to clogging.
Secondly, as discussed previously, point source drip irrigation systems involve significant complexity and cost when trying to cover an area like the root zone of a woody plant rather than irrigating one point. Uneven water distribution results in the root system of the woody plant not developing uniformly. In response, spray stakes have been developed to spray a fine pattern of water over a wider area. However, spray stakes require a great deal of maintenance to ensure proper orientation and operation. In addition, the fine spray leads to additional evaporation in dry climates.
Thus there is a need for a drip irrigation system that provides low delivery rates without plugging. There is also the need for an inexpensive and irrigation system that provides even distribution of water to the root system of woody plants at the soil surface.
Mulch
There are various forms of mulch used in the home landscaping industry with additional types produced for commercial agriculture applications. The benefits of mulching include; less water evaporation, less weeds, soil warming and heat retention leading to earlier and higher yields, erosion control, and a more uniform appearance. Types of mulch include organic, plastic film, and irrigating mats.
Organic mulch, such as hardwood bark and pine needles, tend to be the most aesthetically pleasing but quickly degrade in the environment or wash away with heavy rains.
Plastic mulch (agricultural film, rings, or geotextiles) are effective weed barriers and are preferred in most commercial applications where they can be placed prior to planting. They are very effective at soil erosion abatement and weed control while minimizing surface water evaporation. The perforated or woven versions which are air and water permeable are proving to be less desirable as weeds take root though the pores and cannot be removed.
In commercial farming, thin agricultural film is typically placed over planting beds after drip tape has been installed. This combination has proven to be very effective at producing high yields of quality product with relatively low water use.
Thus there is a need to combine the water saving benefits of Ultra Low drip Irrigation systems with the many benefits of plastic mulch into an inexpensive, durable, and easy to install product.
Irrigating mats are a recent development in the field of artificial mulch, which employ a layer of water distributing material bonded to the underside of a plastic sheet in order to distribute water over the entire area covered by the mat. The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,633, issued on Apr. 12, 1994 to Thomas G. Lloyd, that teaches a flat and thin bladder device used to cause earthworms to migrate to the earth's surface for easy collection. The bladder is laid flat on the earth's surface and soaks the ground underneath the bladder perforations. Soaking the earth under the bladder causes earthworms to migrate to the surface and they are then easily collected as the bladder is lifted to expose them.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,477, issued on Sep. 25, 2001 to Robert J. Chambers, describes an irrigator configured from a flexible or semi-flexible material which can conform to various sizes and shapes of terrain. According to various embodiments of the irrigator, seep holes may be provided. The irrigator contains holes for various plant life to take root through and for facilitating drainage. The irrigator may have multiple, distinct passages for the collection and/or distribution of multiple fluids or gases.
Other related mat devices are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,245, issued on Dec. 19, 1978 to John D. Bryson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,109, issued on May 12, 1998 to Thomas F. Kappel. The Bryson patent teaches a generally flat envelope or package for controllably dispensing into the atmosphere a liquid substance which is normally liquid and vaporizable under atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. The Kappel patent relates to blankets for use with forced air convection systems, wherein the blankets includes means to provide air through selective areas of the lower sheet of the blanket. These devices relate to using a mat to disburse a fluid throughout the mat, although the application to irrigation and selective plant growth is not addressed.
The failings of prior art irrigation mats include wasting irrigation water between plant sites because the ground becomes soaked without consideration of the location of the plant or root zone of the plant. There is also a need for an irrigation mat which is easy to install and remove when no longer needed. Furthermore, there is a need for an irrigation mat that is able to deliver very small amounts of water at specific plant sites without being prone to clogging. The prior art irrigation mats use materials that are expensive and serve only to redistribute water that is already in the soil rather than actually providing irrigation to the specific plant sites.
With regard to woody plants, mulch products of various types are used extensively in the landscaping and horticulture industry for a number of interdependent reasons. Weeds and turf represent stiff competition for the woody plant and mulch can not minimize the need for expensive herbicides. Water evaporation and runoff can be controlled with an effective mulch. Plastic mulch has proven to be the most durable and the most effective product for weed control and minimizing surface water evaporation. Dark colored plastic mulch can provide soil warming and heat retention leading to earlier and higher yields, with an attractive appearance. Light colored and metalized mulches are effective at minimizing heat build up in containers and reflecting light up into the canopy. A disadvantage of using any plastic mulch is that high winds can disturb the material and result in higher maintenance costs.
Thus there is a need to combine the water saving benefits of Ultra Low drip Irrigation systems with the many benefits of plastic mulch into an inexpensive, durable, secure, and easy-to-install product for growing woody plants.